The donations of our supporters, people like you, are largely responsible for the Foundation's positive impact as detailed in our newsletters. Thank you for your kind generosity and support in helping save lives and reduce suffering. Much more needs to be done, and it cannot happen without your support.To make a donation to the International Fund for Africa, please visit http://www.ifundafrica.org/and click on "Donation".

In 2008, International Fund for Africa partnered with Best Friends Animal Society and Humane Society International to humanely address the problem of stray dogs in Ethiopia's capital city of Addis Ababa. In early 2009, a multi-national team of experts converged in Ethiopia's capital city to implement the humane capture, sterilization, vaccination and release of street dogs. This year, the partnering organizations returned to Addis Ababa to assess their progress and to implement additional measures to humanely control overpopulation of strays.. IFA's President, Anteneh Roba, wasted no time and arranged for the consortium to meet with Ethiopian President Girma Wolde-Giorgis.

Gregory Castle, CEO of Best Friends Animal Society, wrote a three-part feature about meeting Ethiopia's President and the future of the project intended to help Ethiopia's homeless animals. Read more about Gregory's impressions and IFA's program that partners with Best Friends Animal Society and Humane Society International here.

International Fund for Africa has formalized its presence in Africa with the establishment of an office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Addis Ababa serves as the capital of the African Union, an intergovernmental organization consisting of 53 African States. IFA's Ethiopian Headquarters is situated in the heart of city's international, diplomatic and Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) city sector near the Economic Commission for Africa. The prime location of the office facilitates smooth operations between International Fund for Africa, representatives of the African Union and other Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).

International Fund for Africa has secured a generous donation of medical supplies and equipment to provide desperately needed medical care to people living in rural Ethiopia. Because of the lack of medical supplies, and equipment in remote locations, people succumb to health conditions that would otherwise be resolved with treatment. Drew Kahn, former CEO of Houston NorthWest Medical Center in Houston, Texas along with Jason Baker ,CEO of Saint Mary's Medical Center in Apple Valley, California have arranged for a large donation of Lab Equipment and other critical medical supplies for IFA's rural healthcare project. Through the generous support of these two individuals and their respective organizations, IFA is further enabled to carry out its mission of relieving the unnecessary suffering of people who would otherwise have no access to life-sustaining medical treatment.

Lantern Books Makes Donation to IFA

Martin Rowe, Co-founder of Lantern Books, has made a generous donation to IFA in support of the promotion of veganism in Africa. On behalf of Lantern Books and Lantern Media, Mr. Rowe sent a large donation of books and media to the Ethiopian Vegan Association and the Vegan Student Association of Togo. Included in the goodie boxes were numerous Lantern Books and books from other publishers including "The Case for Animal Rights" by Tom Regan and "Challenge For Africa" by Wangari Maathai.. CDs and audiotapes, such as "Veganism in a Nutshell" and "Christianity and Vegetarianism" were among the donated media. IFA would like to thank Martin Rowe and Mia McDonald for their ongoing support and assistance.

One Hundred Thousand Hearts is a new documentary focused on the stray animals and over-population crisis in Houston, TX. The film, which made its debut in Houston on October 28th, addresses the importance of surgical sterilization of companion animals through spay/neuter and shows the disastrous consequences of companion animal over-population. Produced and Directed by Gurukarta K. Khalsa, KartaPurkh S. Khalsa and Dawn-Jackie Madison, the documentary was filmed in July and August 2010 in Houston. The film features local veterinarians, shelter workers, rescue groups, volunteers, and pet lovers as they grapple with the fact that more than 100,000 adoptable pets are killed in Houston shelters each year and at least 6 million are killed nationally every year.

Tommy, a stray dog rescued from Ethiopia and brought to the US by IFA, is featured in the documentary which benefits Spay Houston -- a not for profit, low cost spay/neuter and wellness clinic serving the Greater Houston and Montgomery County Areas. Please consider making a financial or in-kind donation to this worthwhile cause at www.spayhouston.org and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Ethiopian Vegan Association Takes Important Strides Forward

IFA would like to congratulate the Ethiopian Vegan Association (EVA) on its effort to gain recognition by the Ethiopian Ministries of Agriculture and Justice as a non-profit organization. As a consequence of their efforts, EVA has received authorization to function as a charitable community-based organization. IFA is proud to help promote and support the efforts undertaken by the first Vegan Association in Ethiopia, in celebrating the acquisition of this important designation and in working together by promoting healthy vegan lifestyles throughout Ethiopia. During their December 6th launch party in Addis Ababa, EVA will engage the Ethiopian community and representatives of the African Union by hosting renowned speakers including 'Food Not Bombs' Co-Founder Keith McHenry, IFA Co-Founder Anteneh Roba and other representatives of organizations that support veganism. The event, which is intended to include all elements of the Ethiopian and African Union communities, represents an important step into the non-profit arena by formalizing EVA presence in Ethiopia's cultural, political and organizational landscape.

"Tommy's Story" by Leanne LeRocca

Tommy

Three years ago, Tommy found his forever home when he became a part of my family. Once a lonely soul, discarded and left to die, Tommy has become a healthy, happy and very loving canine companion. He was one of four dogs, known as The Ethiopian Cave Dogs, who were abandoned and thrown into the Gido Cave to ultimately die of starvation. The Gido Cave was located outside Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and was where people had been dumping homeless and unwanted dogs for more than 20 years. Every month as many as 25-30 dogs were being thrown into this 30 foot pit and left for dead. However, thanks to Dr. Anteneh Roba, a native of Ethiopia and a Houston emergency room doctor, and to HAPS(Homeless Animals Protection Society of Ethiopia), Halie, Hanna, Maria and Tommy were all safely rescued and the Gido Cave was finally closed once and for all. Shortly after their rescue, Roba decided to have the four dogs transported to the United States to start their new lives and find their forever homes.

Over the years, Tommy has transformed into a completely different dog. He has overcome many obstacles and continues to make progress everyday. However, his journey has not been very easy. Shortly after adopting Tommy, he had to undergo surgery to repair his hip because he was in a tremendous amount of pain. He was under the supervision of the veterinarians at Texas A&M, thanks again to Dr. Anteneh Roba. Tommy received excellent care and is now living and enjoying life mostly pain free. Not only did Tommy have medical problems, but he also had issues relating to his world around him. He was not very trusting of people and would lash out when approached. He would however let you get close to him at times, but it had to be on his terms. I spent many nights just lying next to him reassuring him that I was not going to harm him in any way. Gradually, he began trusting me and would even nudge me in order to be petted. From that moment on, despite his past, Tommy overcame his fears and incredibly had so much love to offer. He realized he did not have to be on guard anymore; he could simply relax and just be a dog. Tommy has adjusted very well to his new life and truly has become a great companion. He has become a part of my family which includes six dogs and two pesky cats, one of which is his buddy. To think he was once on the brink of death and to now see him today is like witnessing a miracle. Tommy has taught me "To never give up five minutes before the miracle because you never know when you will be awarded a second chance!"

Tommy & His Feline Friend

Tommy's journey is a wonderful success story. However, for thousands of other homeless and unwanted dogs, their story ends quite differently. In the United States alone, 8-10 million adoptable pets are euthanized annually due to a shortage of homes. Tommy and I are honored to be a part of a new documentary, One Hundred Thousand Hearts, that examines the pet overpopulation crisis in Houston and advocates for change. Producer/Director, Gurukarta Khalsa says it best, "Through the voices of the people who see it everyday, solutions are examined and explained that can stop this animal holocaust from happening, because it is both a humane disaster and an economical nightmare!" Pet overpopulation is a worldwide problem that is getting worse. The reality is there are millions of Tommy's out there that need help!